The Real Cedric Diggory
by AlexPayne
Summary: Who is the real Cedric Diggory? Was the Cedric Diggory who participated in the Triwizard Tournament the real Cedric? Read and find out ;-  R&R Of course I didn't forget the AVPM/AVPS references
1. Chapter 1

I do not own these characters :-(

The Real Cedric Diggory

Chapter 1

Edward's POV

I stared, weighed down with guilt at the large gray tombstone. Staring at it wasn't going to help, but until the time machine is invented, I'll have to face the facts, the words etched in the cold, stone face weren't going to change. His death was without doubt my fault, no matter how many times I've tried to blame it on shifting winds, or his impeccably bad timing.

Carlisle would say "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time," but I knew different, how could he have known about the monster that hunted inside the swiftly darkening forest? At least that's what Carlisle would say if he knew of what I'd done, in my hundred plus years of afterlife with him I still couldn't share with him my most hidden secret. I couldn't bare the look of sickened disappointment on his face.

I've kept this secret with me for the past thirteen years; it's been eating away at me. Every little thing I see reminds me of what I've done. Now every year on the twenty fourth of June, I travel to the hillside cemetery in London and stare down upon his grave.

_Cedric Diggory (October 6, 1977-June 24, 1995)_

_Modest and infinitely fair-minded _

_True and loyal_

_Exceptionally hard working and a fierce, fierce friend _

_A true Hufflepuff through and through _

_Off to seek the next great adventure_

This is the story of how I, Edward Cullen, became Cedric Diggory.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 2

Edward's POV

As the sun dipped lower into the approaching purple dusk, I sat in absolute silence beneath the massive oak trees. It could have been hours; I wasn't sure anymore. All I know is, when I finally stood up, shaking the leaves from my hair, the steadily blackening dusk had swallowed the last pink ball of light the sun had to offer.

I was thirsty; the ever-present blaze in my throat reminded me of that. My eyes, now coal-black with thirst, flashed as the wind blew the lingering scent of human blood toward me. I knew they were long gone by now and even if they weren't, I wouldn't be able to take their innocent lives. I was trying to get back on track, become vegetarian again like my father Carlisle. That is why I've trapped myself in this forest, to force myself away from humans, to only feed on animal blood.

The burn was incessant now, so I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and listened. I heard the constant scratching of playful squirrels winding up trees, then the slapping of branches as they soared from one oversized oak to the next. Their scent was nutty and unappealing. A clan of badgers emerged from their underground tunnels in search of food. I didn't find their scent to be appealing either.

I stood there in the middle of the London forest, my eyes closed, listening, breathing deeply and yet no scents appealed to me yet. An owl screeched overhead, the wind whistling around it as it dove silently to the ground.

I heard a strange popping sound in the distance, but ignored it as a slightly more appealing scent invaded my senses. I crouched down as the wind blew once again. The sounds of rippling water reached my ears; I sniffed the air once more before slowly inching my way forward. Ignoring the wet, unappetizing scent of the river, I sprung forward grabbing a hold of the startled buck. He tried kicking me off, but before he could put up much of a fight, I sunk my teeth into his soft neck. The burn in my throat began to subside as I drank, but returned again, though not as strongly, as I finished much quicker then I'd hoped.

I let the now bloodless body slip from my grasp as I heard a nearby twig snap. My head whipped around quickly and a menacing hiss escaped through my clenched teeth. I crouched down again as the wind shifted blowing the scent of fresh human blood towards me. I barely had time to think, before a tall, slightly frightened looking boy stumbled into my path. His life flashed before his eyes, I could see every moment before he met the same fate as the deer. He didn't scream, or make a sound; there wasn't any time for that, my razor sharp teeth cut into his skin before he could do anything.

It seemed the forest let out a gasp at what I'd done. The boy, barely even seventeen lay lifeless at my feet. I ran my hands down my face in shock, my hunting instincts had been too strong, and I took an innocent life. I stared down into his face and was shocked, he looked just like me. If I believed in God, I would say he was playing a sick joke right now. What was I supposed to do now? Should I run? No one would ever come looking for me; no one would ever know what I'd done. Except for me, I have to carry this with me forever.

I prepared to run, covering the body with leaves, making sure that he could easily be spotted if someone were to come looking. His life began flashing before my eyes then as the guilt started taking over, as I turned to run, I heard a distant calling.

"Cedric….Ced…where are you?"

I panicked, someone was coming, and they were looking for the boy. Without thinking, I began to strip off my clothes, doing the same to the boy. The calling came closer.

"Cedric…can you hear me?... Ced? Did you find some firewood?"

I quickly switched our clothes and dragged the boy's body behind a nearby tree, I would return later to hide him better. There were some small logs strewn around the forest, which I ran to collect. Seconds later a short, plump man wobbled out of the thick bushes.

"Ah, there you are Cedric. Oh and you've found some firewood, great job. That's my son, the fantastic seeker, he can find anything." The man stood beaming at me.

"Yeah dad, that's me a great seeker. We should get this firewood back so we can actually start a fire, it's getting a bit chilly out here." I said hoping to turn the man's attention away from me.

He nodded in agreement before starting forward, back through the bushes, leading me on towards camp and the rest of my life, until I can discover a way to escape, as Cedric Diggory.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 3

Edward's POV

"Hurry up Cedric, we're going to be late to the train" Amos Diggory yelled through my locked bedroom door.

I chose to ignore him yet again. It's been three days since I killed, and hid, that boy in the forest, and I have learned quite a bit since then. The boy's name, obviously, was Cedric Diggory, and he was a wizard. That fact shouldn't have shocked me as much as it did, I mean I am a vampire; the Quileutes are werewolves, why shouldn't wizards exist too?

The wooden door shook again, the doorknob jiggling. I rolled my eyes. I had run out in the middle of the night to the nearest optometry store for contacts to disguise my blazing red eyes. For the past three nights, I've sneaked out to go hunting, hoping to banish my red eyes for good, but it takes time, so the contacts would have to do for now.

When I wasn't hunting, I was reading. Any book on wizardry Cedric had, I read trying to learn everything I could about his abilities. My mind reading came in handy though, I could hear what Amos was thinking which helped me format my answers whenever he questioned me about school.

Ah school, yes that's right, wizards go to school. And not just any school, no, they go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Apparently it's my sixth year at Hogwarts. I also found that I'm a Hufflepuff, whatever the hell that means, and that I'm a prefect, which leads me to why I have locked myself in my room.

I possess no magical abilities; there is no way that I would fling myself at a brick wall in hopes of making it onto a magical train platform, so I'm stalling. The train or as the magical folks refer to it, The Hogwarts Express, leaves at exactly eleven o'clock. It is currently ten fifty five and I'm still "searching" for my prefect badge, which I had found the first night. Not ten seconds later and Mr. Diggory had disapparated into my room.

"No time, we have no more time to make it to the train station, Cedric! You have to be on that train! Prefect duties!" he was screaming now, shoving my trunk and me towards the door.

Within the next few seconds, I had the feeling of getting sucked through a vacuum hose before falling with a thud inside an empty train car. I smiled to myself; it seems I did make it onto the train. I heard some students approaching, and hurried out into the corridor. They stared at me as they passed, wondering why I wasn't in the prefect compartment at the front of the train. I sighed in relief, grateful that the students inadvertently helped me. As quick as I could, I bustled to the front of the now rolling train.

I knew when I reached my destination; the multicolored badges pinned on the chests of a gaggle of proper looking students alerted me to that fact. I ducked in through the sliding door, hoping to avoid being seen. Thankfully I was barely noticed, only a few students asked me about my summer, which I replied with an overzealous head nod that seemed to satisfy them. I sat in the corner as they started the meeting.

"Welcome back, I hope you all enjoyed your summers." The tall, brunette boy said, spreading his arms wide, almost knocking out a short, mousy blonde girl next to him.

"I'm sure your all dying to get patrolling, so I'm going to make this quick—" he chuckled, thinking he was funny, everyone else just rolled their eyes. "—I know you all don't want to hear them, but I have to go over your prefect duties for those of you who might have forgotten them over the summer."

Again he laughed, pausing slightly to see if anyone would laugh along with him, no one did, so he pressed on.

"All prefects have the ability to issue detentions to unruly students; you may also deduct house points, but only from students within your own house. You may not deduct house points from other houses, or other prefects. Prefects are expected to aid teachers in patrolling the hallways, and to maintain order in their house common rooms and in the hallways—"

He paused here, surveying the cabin, before continuing "—all prefects have access to the fifth floor prefect bathroom, for those who don't know, it is four doors to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered, and the password is "pine fresh". If you're on the Quidditch team, then you are not required to wear your prefect badge on your uniform. Finally to conclude our meeting, all prefects are required to help with any decorating throughout the year, and you are required to help guide the first years throughout the castle during the first few weeks of school. Thank you all for your cooperation this meeting is now adjourned." There was a collective sigh of relief as the students began flooding out of the room.

The rest of the train ride consisted of me reading more books, and contemplating how I was going to make it out of this mess. There had to be some way for me to "die" while attending this school, I just had to figure out how.

The sky turned purple as the sunlight faded, tiny pinpricks of light broke through the night sky as the train slowly slid to a halt. I was outside, per prior instructions, calling loudly for the Hufflepuff first years to follow me. Atop a hill in the black distance was an enormous castle, the lights pouring out from the windows gave it an angelic glow. The place looked, for lack of a better word, magical, and I knew at once what it was. Hogwarts castle, without doubt, one of the most magnificent structures I've ever seen.

The outside of the castle was astounding, but the inside gorgeous. As we walked in, there was a set of large marble stairs. Large framed pictures hung proudly on the walls, curious wizards gazing at the nervous first years. On the wall next to the stairs stood four voluminous hourglasses filled with different colored gems. I glanced around in awe as we were ushered up the great marble staircase. I looked up as I climbed, several more sets of stairs loomed above our heads, some of them even moving, sliding from one floor to the next. I've never, in my existence, seen so many stairs. We came to a set of gigantic wooden doors. The first years stayed outside while the rest of the students filed into the room.

I looked around, completely awestruck. Hundreds of white candles floated overhead. The ceiling, bewitched to look exactly like the night sky, glowed above us, and long wooden tables filled the floor. There was a raised area in the front of the room where the teachers sat, and a large podium in the middle. I quickly took my seat amongst the Hufflepuffs as the nervous first years filed in, their eyes wide drinking everything in. One by one, they were sorted by a frayed, brown, talking hat, and I found myself completely engaged in everything that was happening. I applauded loudly whenever the hat shouted HUFFLEPUFF and another slightly more relaxed first year joined our table.

I, just for a moment, forgot about being Edward Cullen, the vampire who needed to get out of this situation, and just enjoyed being Cedric Diggory, the wizard back for another year at Hogwarts.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 4

Edward's POV

The sorting was finished, and a bearded, elderly man stepped up behind the podium. At once, the students' mumbling died down, and the heads of each house stood slightly hissing through their teeth until the room was completely silenced. The man, whom I now remembered to be called Dumbledore, surveyed the room through his half moon glasses.

He smiled softly as he began his speech, "Now that we're all settled in and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well.—" the door opened with a squeak, and a tall greasy man galloped in. Dumbledore ignored his entrance, and as the man pranced to the stage, continued on. "—You see Hogwarts has been chosen—" the man had reached him now and was whispering in his ear. Dumbledore nodded slightly, and the man was off again. "—So Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event, the Triwizard Tournament."

It was as though someone lit a spark in the room. The once quiet students were now buzzing with excitement as Dumbledore went on explaining what the tournament was exactly. Even I wasn't paying much attention until he announced that if chosen to compete, you stand alone, and that the competition isn't for the faint of heart.

I knew it at once; this contest could be my one chance to make it out of here. I was lost in thought as Dumbledore continued; it wasn't until I heard the doors bang open that I looked up. A group of extremely beautiful girls strode in, dressed in a lovely shade of blue. They danced down the aisle toward where Dumbledore stood smiling. Butterflies flitted over their heads, as they fanned out across the floor, and a large woman dressed in fur, whom, as I was now informed was Madame Maxime the headmistress of Beauxbatons, marched in after them. The students, mostly men, cheered loudly and wolf whistled as the girls bowed for the last time.

After kissing the giant woman's hand, Dumbledore raised his hands for silence as he announced the arrival of the next school. The men of Durmstrang marched in wielding thick canes. They pounded the ends of their canes against the ground producing yellow sparks before racing down the aisle. Some of the men did elaborate flips, while their highmaster Igor Karkaroff, a dingy looking man, stalked down the aisle after them. One of the boys produced a fire snake, which morphed into a Phoenix, as the Hogwarts students burst into applause once again.

Dinner was served, and a while after, Dumbledore was back to make another announcement. This time though, an oversized golden cabinet accompanied him. He explained that eternal glory awaits the student who wins the tournament, but that they would have to survive three extremely dangerous tasks. There were new rules this year, according to Dumbledore, Mr. Bartemius Crouch the head of the department of international cooperation was going to explain.

The ceiling began to rumble with thunder, a bulky man stepped out of the shadows, pointed his wand at the ceiling and whisked the stormy weather away. I watched as the man's left eye rolled inside his head before swiveling around to focus on the crowd of Gryffindor students. He greeted Dumbledore, muttered something about the ceiling, took a large swig from his flask, and then clomped out of the way. His name was Professor Alastor, or more appropriately with his roving left eye, Mad-eye, Moody. Mr. Crouch took the stage and explained that the new rule prohibited the participation of under-aged, or under seventeen year old, wizards.

Shouts of protest filled the entire room before Dumbledore shouted for their silence once again. He waved his wand over the golden cabinet melting it down into the ground. Underneath stood a bronze cup, blue flames erupted from within, billowing out of the top.

"Students who wish to enter the tournament must write their names on a bit of parchment and throw it into the flames by Thursday night. Do not do so lightly, if chosen, there's no turning back. As from this moment, the Triwizard tournament has begun." Dumbledore announced.

The room was buzzing with excitement again. This is the opportunity I've been waiting for. I'm going to put my name in that cup, and I'm going to be the Hogwarts champion. I was either going to win this competition, or hopefully die trying.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 5

Edward's POV

The rain poured down outside drowning the grass and flowers. Students ran quickly through, hoping to avoid the icy droplets, to the darkened room where the goblet of fire glowed. Under-aged students stood in gaggles around it, staring longingly into its bright blue flame; they wouldn't dare cross the age line Dumbledore drew just around its base on the floor.

I watched as several Hogwarts students threw their names in the flames. I saw how they closed their eyes as they tossed in their parchment; it was like they were throwing coins down a wishing well. I held back my laughter as a group of Beauxbatons girls threw their names in, though the picture in my mind of them being in this tournament was testing my control. A few of my friends broke me out of my thoughts by dragging me toward the blazing cup. They shoved me toward it, laughing and cheering as I tossed in my name.

As I backed away from the cup, the cheering and laughing grew louder. I turned to see what the commotion was and understood immediately. Two boys, twins in fact, came running in carrying two vials. Everyone knew those two; they passed up the role of class clowns and went directly to school clowns. The Weasley twins, Fred and George, had created an aging potion that was supposedly going to age them just enough so they could enter the tournament. They swallowed the potion, ignoring the wise words of the young Gryffindor student Hermione Granger, and hopped through the age line. When nothing immediately happened, they dropped their names in the cup.

The goblet erupted, shooting blue flames out into the air and directly at the twins. They shot back onto the floor, white hair replacing their once ginger locks, and billowing white beards formed on their formerly bare chins. As they wrestled on the floor, encouraged by the other students in the room, Viktor Krum accompanied by Igor Karkaroff marched confidently into the room. Silently, he strode up to the cup, tossed in his name, turned, and marched away.

That evening, we were assembled in the Great Hall, the goblet of fire flaming in the front of the room. An eerie silence filled the room as we waited for the goblet to announce the three champions. Dumbledore dimmed the lights, as the blue flame grew brighter.

The flame flashed red as the first bit of parchment shot out. Dumbledore glanced down and announced, "The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum." Thunderous applause erupted from the back of the room as Viktor strode confidently to the front.

He shook Dumbledore's hand as the fire glowed red again. "The champion from Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour." Slightly quieter cheers rang out as she gracefully danced toward the stage.

I was holding my breath as the fire glowed red once again. I heard the other Hogwarts hopefuls' mumbling "please, let it be me" under their breath. It seemed the moments ticked by slower as Dumbledore read the parchment. "The Hogwarts champion is…Cedric Diggory."

I let out my breath in a long whoosh as kids I didn't even know patted me on my back. I marched happily to the front of the room.

"Excellent, we now have our three champions. But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory; the Triwizard cup!" Dumbledore exclaimed as the cover was ripped from the trophy. It shined blue in the fire light.

The room erupted in applause, excitement evident in the shinning eyes of the students. Suddenly the goblet began to blaze even brighter than before, the blue flame growing larger. It flashed red so bright that Dumbledore had to shield his eyes as he approached. The goblet shot out another bit of parchment. Dumbledore reached for the scrap as it floated effortlessly down into his grasp.

He whispered at first before shouting, "Harry Potter…. HARRY POTTER" it was like the room was trapped in some kind of silent outrage. The anger was evident on so many faces, yet they sat there silently fuming. Only Hagrid, the schools gamekeeper voiced his protests.

As the boy meekly made his way to the front, the students seemed to come alive again. Shouts of "he's a cheat" and "he's not even seventeen yet" rang out as the room grew steadily louder. The teachers looked worried as they dismissed the rest of the school back to their dormitories.

Fleur, Krum, Harry, and I waited for the teachers in an overly crowded room; there were all sorts of weird magical doodads crammed in every corner. The teachers came bustling into the room, all shouting at and over each other.

I focused my attention on the burning fire behind me as they grumbled and growled at the poor Potter boy. His inclusion to the Triwizard tournament wasn't to be expected, and I just hoped that it wouldn't get in the way of my plans.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 6

Edward's POV

Weeks have passed, my teachers have stopped calling on me during class thinking I've been too nervous about the upcoming task to perform magic properly. I of course didn't have any objections seeing as I possess no magical abilities. There are still a few days before the first task, and the other champions and I have no idea what to expect.

Not a day later, while I was minding my own business, laying outside on a bench surrounded by my new and fascinating friends, Harry freaking Potter comes storming out of the walkway his eyes boring into me. He asked me to talk with him for a minute, and I of course went along with it seeing as he looked so distraught and his mind was riddled with so many errant thoughts and pictures that I couldn't get a hold of what it was he wanted exactly.

That's when he told me about the dragons, one for each of us he says. I'm trying to get myself fake-killed and these nutty wizards throw me dragons. How can I fake die when the probability of me really dying is so high? The first task is barely a day away, I need to get planning.

The first task is this afternoon, and for once during this whole situation, I'm feeling anxious, scared even. I find myself wishing for some way to see the future, I have no idea what to expect. For once, I feel that my mind reading ability is completely useless. Just a few more hours until I have to face my dragon, I sigh, pushing the balls of my hands into my eyes.

I pace the champions tent, the dragons roar loudly from somewhere in the distance. My fellow champions' minds are filled with nervous pep talks that seem to consist mostly of spells they could use to stun or distract the beast. No one knows yet what the objective of this task is. Hermione, the Potter boys' best friend burst from behind the tent curtains, nearly strangling Harry.

Dumbledore entered just moments later; his arms outstretched as he addresses us. "Good day champions, gather round please. You've waited, you've wondered, at last the moment has arrived. The moment only four of you have truly appreciated.—" he paused here finally notice the frizzy-haired Gryffindor. He continued after her brief apology and departure "—Barty, the bag."

Barty Crouch stepped forth holding out a squirming black bag. "Champions, in a circle around me." He said whilst arranging us around him, Fleur was first, Krum next, then me, and finally Harry.

Fleur reached her hand cautiously inside the bag, pulling out a tiny green dragon. "The Welsh Green" Mr. Crouch announced before holding the bag up to Krum.

He reached bravely into the bag, his hand emerged cradling a miniature red and slightly black dragon. "Chinese Fireball, ohhh" Barty enthused.

Mr. Crouch held the bag up to me and I gradually stuck my hand into the silky black bag. Within the next second my hand emerged holding a miniature black horned dragon. "The Swedish Short Snout," Barty announced with a smile.

Harry was last; it looked as though he had to force himself to reach into the bag. Once his hand surfaced from the dark bag, his face morphed into one of great concern. There perched in the palm of his hand was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. The tiny dragon was sickly yellow in color, with porcupine-like needles covering its head. "The Hungarian Horntail" Barty said in a grave voice.

"These represent four very real dragons, each of which has been given a golden egg to protect. Your objective is simple, collect the egg. This you must do, each egg contains a clue, without which you cannot hope to proceed to the next task." Barty Crouch looked pointedly at each of us, making sure we understood. Seeing that we hadn't any questions, Dumbledore announced that at the sound of the cannon, I would be going first.

Filch promptly sounded the cannon, and with a deep breath I stepped forward into the foggy arena. At first, all I saw were rocky hills, the golden egg perched delicately in the middle. I foolishly hoped that the dragon I would be facing would be the one I held not moments ago in the palm of my hand.

I cautiously started toward the egg. Suddenly, I heard chains rattling and a thunderous roar coming from the other side of the rocks. I ducked quickly as the beast spewed flames in my direction. I felt my wand in my pocket and cursed my lack of magical abilities.

I pulled the useless stick from my pocket and glared at it. As I glared, an idea came to me. I climbed up the side of the rocky hill, just enough to see the enraged creature. I pointed my wand at the large rocks teetering on the edge of the hill, above the beasts head and shouted, "Wingardium leviosa", which I read not two days ago was supposed to be a levitation spell. I pushed with all my strength against the rock wall.

With the sound of my cry still echoing around the arena, the large boulders tumbled down the side of the mountain, and with a deafening boom, incapacitated the monster. As the dust settled, the students saw the dragon and cheered as I climbed up the rest of the rocks and grabbed the egg, hoisting it over my head in victory.

The first task may not have gone over as planned, but I was still satisfied with not being flame broiled. There's always the next task right? Now I just need to figure out the clue in the egg so I can begin my planning again.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 7

Edward's POV

I stood at the bottom of the extensive marble staircase, Cho Chang, dressed in a beautiful, silvery, silk dress, clung a little too tightly to my arm as she stared at Harry Potter. I fiddled nervously with my ridiculous bow tie as we waited for Professor McGonagall to usher us into the Yule Ball.

As the four Triwizard champions, Viktor, Fleur, Harry, and I along with our dates, were to be the first people on the dance floor. Just when I thought nothing else can distract me from my planning, the insane wizards throw a Ball at me. Too make matters worse; we've spent the past few days rehearsing our "first dance".

I was torn from my bitter thoughts when Cho pulled harshly on my arm, she was signaling, not so subtly, that it was time to line up. Loud, forceful music blared as we marched in through the wide oak doors. Thunderous applause echoed around us as we strode to the spacious dance floor.

The soft, melodic music began as we twirled around the floor, quickly joined by Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. The young Weasley girl, Ginny I believe, and her date Neville Longbottom soon join in on the fun, while Professor Moody tapped his clunky metal foot along to the beat as he drank heavily from his flask. As we waltzed around again, I noticed the caretaker Argus Filch dancing with Mrs. Norris, his cat. The dance floor was filled with awkward young student by the time the first dance was finished.

Once the slow song was finished, The Weird Sister's took the stage. We spent the rest of the night jumping around the dance floor and helping Professor Flitwick bodysurf. I found the entire experience to be completely enjoyable, and even though the song "Do the Hippogriff" will never stop playing inside my head, I'm grateful for the fact that the Yule Ball helped me once again forget about my unfortunate situation. The Yule Ball was amazing, but I still need to figure out the clue inside the egg.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 8

Edward's POV

The second task was days away and I have yet to figure out the clue inside the egg. There is no way I'm going to be opening that thing again, my ears are still ringing from the piercing shriek that rang out the last time I tried twisting it open.

I was standing idly in the fifth floor hallway when I heard a steady thumping. Not ten seconds later, Professor Moody emerged from around the corner. He stared at me, at least his right eye stared as his left danced around inside his head.

"Any luck with that egg yet Mr. Diggory?" he growled.

"No Professor," I answered eyeing him suspiciously, his thoughts were everywhere and I was having a difficult time paying attention as his left eye swiveled inside his head.

"Did you try taking it in the **bath**?" he asked stressing the last word.

Wait a minute; did he just suggest I take a bath with the egg? The wizarding world just gets weirder and weirder. I shook my head, staring down at my feet.

"Maybe you should take that egg and mull things over in the bath." He suggested before he continued his way down the hallway.

I added that conversation to the list of insanely odd things that have happened to me at this magical place before I too walked, in the opposite direction, down the hallway.

I passed the entrance to the prefect bathroom and decided that it might be a good idea for me to try Professor Moody's suggestion. I ran to my dormitory, grabbed the egg, and raced back to the bathroom.

Stating the password, I entered into the enormous room and turned on the water. Water spewed from dozens of spigots filling the swimming pool sized tub. A mermaid sat on a rock fixing her hair on a stained glass window directly in front of the tub. Once the bath was full, I slipped into the warm water.

I sat there a while, staring at the mermaid and thinking. The millions of bubbles began to melt away until there were just small white tuffs before I finally reached for the egg. I thought I heard giggling from one of the toilets, but ignored it as I dunked the egg under the water. With one firm twist, the egg sprang open radiating yellow under the water's surface, and I heard singing. Dunking my head under, I heard it clearer.

_Come seek us where our voices sound_

_We cannot sing above the ground_

_An hour long you'll have to look_

_To recover what we took_

I replayed the song again and again inside my head trying to think of some sort of explanation. It wasn't until I looked up at the stained glass window that I started to put some pieces together. I remembered the lake outside of Hogwarts, so I figured there must be mermaids living in that lake. We must have to recover our next clue from the mermaids, I mentally high-fived myself as I climbed out of the tub. I quickly dried off, changed, and went in search of Harry Potter. I figured that I should repay him for tipping me off about the dragons.

He was grateful and confused when I suggested he take a bath with his egg, but I was satisfied as I wondered off to plan my accidental drowning.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 9

Edward's POV

I stared into the murky water, realizing that my plan might actually work, the dark gray water made it nearly impossible to see anything below the surface. I paced the dock, acting extremely nervous, truth is, I actually was a bit nervous, I still didn't know how I was going to participate in the task without having some type of spell or magical enchantment to help me breathe under the water for an hour. I think the other wizards would get suspicious if I just jumped in without any underwater breathing assistance.

I was on my third trip past the excited students when my fellow Hufflepuff's came to see how I was doing. They could tell that I was nervous, so they decided to help me out by casting the bubble-head charm. The three other champions and I stood at the edge of the monstrous floating dock, cheering students above our heads, waiting, with twitching fingers, for the second task to begin.

A few moments later, Dumbledore's booming voice was heard throughout the entire school grounds, "Welcome to the second task! Last night, something was stolen from each of our champions, a treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie at the bottom of the Black Lake. In order to win, each champion need only find their treasure and return to the surface.—" I was momentarily distracted by the sounds of Harry Potter coughing as he swallowed the most hideous looking green seaweed. I began listening again as Professor Moody started thumping Harry on the back. "—Simple enough, except for this, they will only have one hour to do so, one hour only. After that, they'll be on their own, no magic will save them."

I rolled my eyes as his speech came to its conclusion, that old wizard really has a flare for the dramatics. I heard the shot from the cannon and leapt gracefully into the water behind Krum and Fleur, Harry, still sputtering followed suit soon after. I bobbed my head above the water just long enough for Joey to cast the charm, and took off again into the shadowy water. Krum, who had transfigured himself into a shark, sped past, and I decided it would be best to follow him for a while. I wanted to make sure I got far enough away before executing my plan.

I swam swiftly through the tall, grabbing plants. There were a few creatures lurking, but they had enough sense to stay away from me. I was searching for a place to hide somewhere deep and dark enough to hide me while I try to escape. I swam through a dark cavern hoping it could conceal me for a while, but no such luck, I swam straight through into an open area. Merpeople were everywhere, some swimming around, others tucked behind giant stone pillars. I looked down at my watch, and realized that there were only a few minutes left in the competition.

Something red caught my eye, and I turned to see Harry Potter trying to untangle what looked like a person from a rope. I swam closer and realized that the "treasure" I was supposed to recover was Cho Chang, the girl I took to the Yule Ball. I was shocked; I didn't even want to think of what could have happened if I had actually found a hiding place. I couldn't believe that anyone could have the audacity to stick a bunch of students underwater for hours, and then send students to save them. I was beginning to hate the wizarding world, I needed to get out and fast.

I quickly untied Cho, but I noticed that there was still two others left, Hermione Granger, and Fleur's sister. I could hear Krum swimming closer, but there was no sign of Fleur. The task was going to be over soon, so I just looked at Harry, tapped my watch as a reminder, and swam towards the surface. As soon as my head broke the surface, the charm was gone, and I helped tow Cho toward the docks.

As I reached the dock, I noticed Fleur; she was standing on the edge of the dock chewing nervously on the edges of her towel. She started a bit, looking hopeful as ripples began forming on the lake surface. Her face fell though as Hermione and Krum emerged, gasping from the inky water. The task was over a few minutes after I reached the dock, and there was no sign of Harry. Before any worst case scenarios could run through my head, Harry shot out of the water, landing with a wet plop on the deck, his friend Ron and Fleur's sister were bobbing and sputtering in the water. After being towed in, and much celebration, I learned that I was tied with Harry for first place.

This tournament wasn't turning out as I'd hoped. Well, there's always next task.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 10

Edward's POV

As Krum, Fleur, Harry, and I entered the arena, the cheering and music were at full volume. Homemade signs were being thrust in the air as the students chanted and cheered for their favorite competitors. Amos Diggory was there of course, patting me roughly on the back and waving eagerly at the crowd. Professor moody stomped back and forth in front of the giant hedge maze, which took up most of the arena floor. The cheering didn't waver until Professor Dumbledore stood at his platform and shouted for silence.

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory…" the chanting crowd caused him to pause here, and Amos grabbed my arm, hoisting it above our heads in triumph.

"….and Mr. Potter…" again he paused until the cheering subsided. "…are tied for first position they will be first to enter the maze, followed by Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour." The cheering wasn't quite as enthusiastic as before, but it still caused Dumbledore to pause.

"The first person to touch the cup will be the winner! I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. Should, at any point, a contestant wish to withdraw from the task he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands. Contestants! Gather round. Quickly!" he stepped from his platform and waved us in with his arms.

We stood in a circle, shoulders touching, beside Dumbledore as he spoke to us in a hushed voice, "In the maze, you'll find no dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead, you'll face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh, find the cup if you can. But be very wary, you could just lose yourselves along the way."

Dumbledore walked away as the four of us stared nervously at each other. "Champions, prepare yourselves!" he shouted. We broke apart and stood at separate entrances to the maze.

Amos approached me, pulling me into a fierce hug, "good luck" he breathed releasing me from is grasp.

"See you later, Dad" I whispered the words feeling guilty because I knew I didn't mean them. I looked over at Harry and nodded.

"On the count of three. One…" the sound of the cannon interrupted Dumbledore's countdown and I stepped slowly into the maze. The hedges close behind me, and a foggy darkness filled the long leafy corridors of the maze.

I stood listening for a while. The silence was deafening; the maze seemed to go on forever. I walked slowly through the maze, wandering aimlessly down its long green passageways, occasionally glancing over my shoulder. As I wandered down one passageway, a strange wind blew past closing the trail behind me. The closing branches hit my face as I ran quickly through. I reached the end just as the trail disappeared with one last angry slap of branches. Fleur screamed somewhere in the near distance, and I saw red sparks soar high above the maze. I crept slowly towards the ruckus.

About three passageways down, a jet of blue light shot passed my shoulder. Krum stepped confidently from the pathway just in front of me, his wand raised. _This is it; I'm finally going to get what I've wanted since this whole competition started!_ I thought as another streak flew past my head. Suddenly, another jet of light flew past, but from the opposite direction hitting Krum, square in the chest knocking him to the ground, his wand flying from his hand. Of course it was Harry Potter to the rescue, I turned, threw him a thankful grimace, and took off down another passageway.

Of course I couldn't get off that easy, Harry was right on my heels as I skidded around a corner. Seriously he's like this guy that's always there, like a spare guy who's always around when you don't need anyone. We were running, and shoving each other down the aisles, pausing only when we saw the shining blue cup at the end of the passageway. We ran faster then, roots pulled up from the ground grabbing at our legs. The roots twisted around my ankles bringing me to the ground with a loud thud. They wrapped themselves around my legs and torso pulling me towards the hedges. Harry stood a few feet ahead of me, his head whipping back and forth from me to the cup. I wanted to tell him to go, to let the bush drag me under, but I knew he wouldn't listen. So I did what I thought anyone else would do in my situation.

"Harry! Harry! Harry!" I shouted, pleading for him to cut me loose. With one more glance toward the cup, he turned to me running closer so he could cut the roots that were slowly inching towards my head.

"Thanks" I gasped. Maybe I was going to make it out of this tournament alive. I really needed to stop making plans; plans obviously didn't work in the wizarding world. I think I'll have to wait until I'm out of school and back at Cedric's home before I try to come up with another plan.

"No problem" Harry replied in a shaky breath.

"You know, for a moment there, I thought you were gonna let it get me." I tried to joke.

"For a moment, so did I" he said in a tone that made me question his sincerity.

"Some game, huh?" I questioned. There's nothing like a little awkward conversation to make your time in death defying tournament challenges worth while.

"Some game." He agreed just as the hedges began closing around us. We ran quickly from slapping branches and stood just in front of the glowing Triwizard cup.

"Go on, take it. You saved me, take it!" I urged.

"Together." He said determination clear in his voice.

"One…Two" he started.

"THREE!" we shouted together, each of us grabbing a handle of the cup.

Our feet left the ground, and within the next second, we were spinning.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 11

Edward's POV

The ground was quickly approaching, I expected to be greeted by cheers once we landed. Instead, we crash-landed in a cold, dark graveyard.

"You ok?" I inquired once the world stopped spinning.

"Yeah. You?" Harry asked, standing up on shaky legs.

We both began to wander, Harry disappeared behind a large stone statue while I drifted back toward the cup.

"Where are we? I've been here before." I heard Harry whisper.

I was examining the cup when I realized something, "It's a Portkey. Harry, the cup is a Portkey!" I remembered reading about them a while back. Portkey's are enchanted objects that when touched, will transfer the one or ones who touch it to anywhere in the globe decided upon by the enchanter.

Harry was looking around panic stricken. His head was whipping around in every direction, "I've been here before, in a dream. Cedric! We have to get back to the cup. NOW!"

"What are you talking about?" I was confused. What was he so scared about? The graveyard was empty, except for the two of us.

I didn't have any time to ask him though. A man emerged from a doorway, which was concealed inside a great stone wall. He was carrying what looked like a small, skeletal baby. Harry groaned in pain, gripping his head and sinking to the cold ground. A fire erupted underneath the cauldron I hadn't noticed sitting in the middle of the cemetery.

"Harry, what is it?" I asked, stepping towards him in concern.

The man was stalking toward us I was desperately confused. Harry kept begging me to get back to the cup. I wasn't going to leave him. The man was getting closer. I raised my wand hoping to scare him back, he wouldn't know I wasn't a wizard.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I questioned my voice low and menacing.

The skeleton spoke then, "Kill the spare!"

I had no time to react as the man raised his wand shouting, "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO! Cedric!" I heard Harry yell as the killing cruse struck me square in the chest. I flew backwards a few feet, landing on my back, eyes open. I lay perfectly still, hearing and seeing everything.

Harry's thoughts were jumbled, _Peter__…__.__Voldemort__…__Cedric__…__he__killed__Cedric!_ That's right, I was dead, Cedric was dead. Finally, this was the moment I've been waiting for. Unfortunately, my death left Harry Potter alone and defenseless against dark wizards.

The man was, according to Harry's thoughts, Peter Pettigrew. I remembered hearing about him, he used to be friends with Harry's parents until he betrayed them to the Dark Lord and got them killed. It turned out he was a Death Eater, one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. He was currently lifting Harry off the ground, pinning him against a stone statue.

The bundle, which I assumed was what was left of Lord Voldemort after he tried to kill Harry, spoke again, "Do it NOW!"

Peter, of course, obeyed immediately dropping Voldemort into the bubbling cauldron. Wand raised, he stalked toward the grave next to Harry.

"Bone of the father, unwillingly given." He rasped summoning a bone from the grave and dropping it into the bubbling water.

He pulled a knife from his coat and loomed over the cauldron as he continued listing his ingredients.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrificed." He pulled back his right sleeve and in one quick motion cut off his hand, which landed with a sickening plop inside the potion.

Peter then approached Harry again, the blade of his knife glinting menacingly in the firelight. He sliced open Harry's shirtsleeve, and cut a deep line into his flesh, "And blood of the enemy, forcibly taken."

While Harry groaned quietly in pain, Peter walked back to the cauldron, flicking Harry's blood into the roaring water. He stared at the potion in triumph while declaring, "The Dark Lord shall rise again."

The fire engulfed the entire cauldron, Peter leapt back a few feet, cowering in fear. As the flames subsided, the cauldron lifted in the air. As the cauldron melted away, a slimy, grayish green skeleton took its place, hovering a few feet above the ground.

The slimy skeleton gradually morphed into a man in flowing black robes, I stared blankly from my spot on the grass, taking in his appearance. His skin was sickly gray in color, his feet bare and dirty. He was in desperate need of a manicure, and his head was completely bald, and covered in purple veins. As I looked at his face, I began to think that maybe Peter had skipped a step or forgotten an ingredient. The Dark Lord with his sharp teeth and slanted angry eyes did not have a nose, just two ugly slits in the middle of his face.

I held in my laughter as Voldemort marched toward Peter, "My wand, Wormtail," he requested holding out his hand expectantly.

The quivering man reached into his pocket producing a bone-white wand with a hooked claw at the end of the handle. "Hold out your arm." He demanded, once he had his wand in hand.

Peter held out his right arm whimpering, "Master. Thank you, Master."

"The other arm, Wormtail." The Dark Lord spat grabbing for Peter's left arm.

Voldemort tugged Peter's sleeve back revealing a tattoo of what looked like a skull spewing out a long twisting snake. He pressed the tip of his wand to the tattoo, bringing it to life. The snake began wiggling as the tattoo darkened, Voldemort smiled madly in triumph.


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 12

Edward's POV

Peter's tattoo appeared in the sky, Death Eaters in half skull masks slithered from its mouth forming a circle around the Dark Lord.

"Welcome, my friends. Thirteen years it's been, and yet here you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed. Not one of you tried to find me." Voldemort paced in the middle of the circle, shaking his head in disappointment.

He began tearing off their masks, spitting their names in disgust, "Crabbe! Macnair! Goyle! Not even you Lucius."

One by one they sank to their knees, only Lucius chose to speak. "My Lord, had I detected any sign, a whisper of your whereabouts—"

He was quickly cut off. "There were signs, my slippery friend. And more than whispers," Voldemort hissed.

Lucius was standing now, his hood removed, "I assure you, my Lord, I have never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your absence, that is my true mask."

Peter, who had been cowering outside the circle, cautiously stepped forward, "I returned."

Voldemort rushed toward him causing him to cringe in fear. "Out of fear, not loyalty. Still, you have proved yourself useful these past few months, Wormtail." He waved his wand toward Peter's right arm. A shiny silver hand grew from his right coat sleeve.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you!" Peter groveled as Voldemort walked toward my seemingly lifeless body.

"Such a handsome boy," He said nudging my face with his disgusting, dirty, bare foot. It took all of my self-control not to bite it off.

"Don't touch him," Harry yelled, struggling uselessly against his stone restraints.

Voldemort stalked slowly toward the struggling boy, "Harry. I'd almost forgotten you were here. Standing on the bones of my father. Yeah. I'd introduce you, but word has it, you're almost as famous as me these days."

He looked to his Death Eaters, "The boy who lived," he sneered before turning back to Harry.

"How lies have fed your legend, Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night 13 years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers?" the rhetorical questions spewed from his mouth as he glared hatefully at Harry.

He tore his gaze away and paced around his circle of followers. "Yes, shall I? It was love. You see, when dear, sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch him. It was old magic. Something I should have foreseen, but no matter, no matter. Things have changed."

He rushed toward Harry, his arm raised, "I can touch you now." He pressed his index finger to the lightning scar on Harry's head. Harry screamed in tortuous pain as Voldemort continued his ranting, "Yeah. Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do, eh, Harry?"

With another wave of his wand, Harry was on the ground, "Pick up your wand, Potter," Voldemort demanded.

The Death Eaters scattered as Harry fumbled clumsily on the ground, "I said, pick it up! Get up! Get up! You've been taught how to duel, I presume, yes? First, we bow to each other." Voldemort bowed while Harry stood staring.

"Come on, now, Harry. The niceties must be observed. Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget your manners, would he? I said, bow." He growled through clenched teeth forcing Harry into a bow with a flick of his wand.

Voldemort rushed toward Harry, bowling him over, "That's better. And now…Crucio!" he yelled, Harry writhed in pain. "Crucio! Attaboy, Harry. Your parents would be proud. Especially your filthy Muggle mother."

Harry sprung off the ground in a rage; it was the maddest I'd ever seen him, "Expelliar—" the spell shot toward Voldemort. He simply flicked it away like it was an annoying fly.

He knocked Harry back a few feet, "I'm going to kill you, Harry Potter. I'm going to destroy you. After tonight, no one will ever again question my powers. After tonight, if they speak of you, they'll speak only of how you begged for death. And I, being a merciful Lord, obliged. Get up!" he snarled forcing Harry to his feet.

Harry ran for cover behind some of the larger tombstones as Voldemort shot spells in his direction. "Don't you turn your back on me, Harry Potter! I want you to look at me when I kill you! I want to see the light leave your eyes!" I could hear Harry's erratic heartbeat as he struggled to figure out a plan.

With a deep, deciding breath, Harry strode confidently from his hiding place behind the headstones to face Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

"Have it your way. Expelliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavra!" they shouted their spells at the same time.

Their spells connected in the space between them, sending off sparks of blue and red. They struggled, each one fighting for dominance.

Sensing movement from his followers, Voldemort shouted, "Do nothing! He's mine to finish! He's mine!"

As they struggled, a foggy bubble surrounded them. Voldemort's wand began spitting out ghostly versions of the people he had murdered. The last two people who drifted from his wand Harry recognized immediately. Lily and James Potter glided down to stand proudly behind their son.

"Harry, when the connection is broken, you must get back to the Portkey. We can linger for a moment to give you some time, but only a moment. Do you understand?" Harry nodded vigorously at his father.

I took that as my turn to cut in, as inconspicuously as I could I instructed, "Harry, take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my father."

"Let go. Sweetheart, you're ready. Let go! Let go!" Lily urged.

Harry nodded and dropped his wand. The spirits flew toward Voldemort, encasing him in fog. Harry used that moment to sprint back toward me. He flung himself across my lap and summoned the Portkey.

Again, we were spinning.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own these characters :-(

Chapter 13

Edward's POV

The ground approached quickly. We spun faster and faster. The music we had left behind at the start of the maze grew louder. With a jolting thud, we landed, Harry sobbing loudly against my cold, stone chest.

At first, no one noticed my lifeless form, they were too busy celebrating. I watched the Slytherin's scowl, the Hufflepuff's high-five the Gryffindor's, and the Ravenclaws clap quietly along with the men of Durmstrang and the ladies of Beauxbatons. Then suddenly with an ear-piercing scream from Fleur, the scene changed. The arena grew silent as Dumbledore rushed toward us.

"Harry! Harry!" Dumbledore bellowed, trying to pry the sobbing boy off my arm.

"No! No! No, don't!" Harry begged.

Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, wandered over completely oblivious, "For God's sake Dumbledore, what's happened?"

"He's back. He's back. Voldemort's back. Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him, not there." Harry sobbed before Dumbledore could say anything.

"It's all right Harry. It's all right. He's home. You both are." Dumbledore soothed, finally able to stand Harry up on his feet.

Fudge, who looked rather startled, turned to instruct the teachers, "Keep everybody in their seats. A boy has just been killed."

He earned the attention of Amos, who had been chatting with the tall ginger wizard next to him. Amos began pushing his way through the crowd.

"The body must be moved, Dumbledore. There are too many people." Fudge announced.

Amos continued struggling through the crowd, "Let me through! That's my son! That's my boy! It's my boy!" he broke through the crowd, landing on his knees next to me.

I saw Harry being pulled away by Professor Moody, the rest of the students filing out after them. Amos's anguished cries echoed around the entire school grounds as they trudged, mournfully into the castle.

Once the entire arena was emptied of all the students, Professor McGonagall helped Amos off the ground. She slid her arm around his shoulder and tucked him gently into her side as Dumbledore, with a flick of his wand, lifted me off the ground.

With Dumbledore in front and McGonagall and Amos steps behind, I was levitated carefully into the warm, candlelit castle. A beautiful, sleek, black coffin was summoned and I was placed gently inside. With another flick of his wand, Dumbledore cleaned up my face, and changed my clothes.

I caught a glimpse of a horse-less carriage as the coffin lid was closed. The coffin was jostled a bit as they slide it into the carriage next to a sniffling Amos. I heard their whispered good byes as the carriage took off, swaying down the path toward the Diggory's home.

The next few days consisted of me laying perfectly still as lines of mourning witches and wizards filed past my coffin. They sniffled quietly, tears streaming down their cheeks. My guilt was beginning to eat at me, knowing they were crying over the wrong boy, but I knew, eventually everything would be right again.

The night, two days after my "death" was when I decided to execute my final plan. I waited until they left my coffin beside the freshly dug grave, I was supposed to be buried in the morning. I listened for an hour before I slipped quietly from my casket. I raced quickly to the Diggory's home to change clothes before running to the London forest where I hid the boy. As quick as I could, I moved the rocks from in front of the cave. I pulled him from deep within the cave and changed him into the clothes I had been wearing inside the coffin. Then, as quick as I could, I ran him back to the graveyard and placed him gently inside the casket. Once I was sure he was settled, I sprinted to the top of a nearby hill.

A few hours later, the sun had risen, and the mourners gathered around the gravesite to say their final good byes. I watched, finally feeling relief, as they lowered his body into the ground and covered him with soil. Amos sprouted flowers covering the brown earth before he, with one last look over his shoulder, followed the mourners out of the cemetery.

I too left shortly after, returning to my life as Edward Cullen.

I sighed, lifting myself from the ground in front of his grave. I heard someone coming. I gently touched his headstone, and bowed my head. Then, I ran to the top of the same hill where I hid years ago.

XXXXXXX

I watched as four kids ran up the pathway, skidding to a stop in front of Cedric's grave. Their parents, a man with untidy black hair and a woman, whose hair was fiery red, joined them shortly after. I recognized the man at once, Harry Potter had come to visit Cedric's grave as well. I watched for a while as the children sat at his feet. He began telling them a story similar to mine. His though, was about the Triwizard Tournament and how brave a competitor Cedric had been.

With one last glance back, I left the cemetery. I knew that I would be back next year, and I knew that for now, Cedric was in good hands.


End file.
